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So You Want to be a Writer? What Are You Going to Write About?

In some capacity, I have always been a writer. When other kids dreaded writing papers or completing essay questions on tests, I welcomed them. These things were a chance to show what I knew and what I thought instead of testing my capability to memorize data. My ability to write served me well throughout my professional career (day job). Something was missing, though.

I always wanted to focus more on creative writing. Over the years, I had many starts and stops. Professional pressures and other time consuming activities never allowed me to focus on an activity that I knew I would love. Then, one day, I switched to a job that had me traveling four days per week, forty weeks per year. This created a great deal of downtime.

I can still remember the day about five years ago when I pulled out a blank notebook from my carry on bag during a flight to Chicago. This was in the days before the use of tablet devices was allowed throughout the flight. I opened the notebook and, by the time I landed in Chicago, I had written about 5,000 words of a 7,000 word short story that would be my first published work.

Now let’s back up. Where did I get the idea for this story? It actually was easy. I have been in the habit of checking news headlines every morning to get up to speed on what’s going on in the world. One of the headlines that caught my eye had to do with a motorcyclist that was injured on a Florida highway when a vehicle driven by a senior citizen abruptly changed lanes in front of him at a low rate of speed. The man was thrown from his bike, crushed his spine, and severed his spinal cord. He would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

After reading the news story, I thought about how hopeless the situation was. Even with advances in modern medicine, it was clear that this man would never walk again and would likely have a shortened life because of his injuries.

That got me thinking. What could possibly occur that would make this story have a different ending? That’s where the plot for my short story, “Heal Thyself” came from. It had the man awakening in the hospital with the expected solemnity and sadness over his situation. He would then baffle the doctors by scratching his nose. X-Rays would then reveal that his injuries had been healed and, further, injuries he incurred earlier in life were gone without a trace. The story goes on to reveal that the man not only spontaneously healed, but was able to heal others in similar hopeless situations.

This ability sounds miraculous on its face, but in playing out how this man’s life would change, the miraculous nature of the ability dissolves.

This story came from the headlines and that is one tip for finding story ideas. Look for interesting situations and put your own twist on them. Here are some other tips that have worked for me in creating and fleshing out story ideas:

Write what you know. If you’re a lawyer, courtroom drama or corporate espionage might be a good topic for you. It certainly works for John Grisham. If you are from Florida, set your stories in Florida and use familiar landmarks and locations. The more you know about your topics, the more validity you will bring to your work.

Keep a notebook with you or record ideas into your phone. I have a small notebook that I keep with me everywhere. There is no telling when I will see an interesting situation or character that will make a good story idea. In addition, ideas pop into your head when you don’t expect them. You could be in the shower or asleep and an idea might come to you. Write it down. You might not use it immediately, but it might be something you can tap into later.

If your story idea ventures outside of your area of expertise, find someone that can validate what you are writing about. Part of my latest book, Let Me Be Frank, takes place in New Orleans. I have been there a couple of times, but I am certainly not an expert in the city’s history or the way its law enforcement works. I found a fellow author, however, that is a retired New Orleans police officer. He agreed to give the manuscript a read and send me comments. I was able to correct some of the nuances that were not quite right in the book.

Research your settings, technology used, and other aspects of your story. In my first book, Frankly Speaking, I had to research snake bites and satellite technology to make the story plausible. Thank goodness for the Internet. I can’t imagine how writers did their research before it became available.

I hope these tips have been helpful. As always, if you have questions or comments, please let me know and I would be happy to converse.

This is a notion that I have never really got my head around …. the idea that someone should write ‘about’ something … the idea that the ‘about’ is the focal point.

I like to think (somewhat grandiosity I suppose) that writing (and any form of art, for that matter) is never ‘about’ something, but rather just IS something.

When a friend tells you about a book he or she is reading it is quite natural to ask, “what is it about?” but my own view is that the only proper answer to that question is simply to point at the book and say, “this is what it’s about.”

“If I have to explain it, then you will never understand”, in other words.

Richmond, I understand the philosophical point of view on this. From the practical, indie author point of view, I thin authors need an ‘elevator statement’ about their books. If you enter an elevator with someone and they ask what your book is ‘about’, you should be able to convey a synopsis of the story or subject matter (in the case of non-fiction). Without this component, it would be difficult to attract readers when creating an entry on Amazon or providing verbiage on the back of the book cover. Thanks for weighing in on this.

Yes Don. I do understand the practicalities.
But I would still maintain that the whole point of writing (and I am thinking here purely in terms of fiction) is that it is not something that can be explained in any other way …. if it can be ‘explained’ then the act of explanation renders the writing irrelevant … or superfluous.
I am not a very practical man, you see, Don.

It’s a great source of the beginnings of a story. My book, Frankly My Dear, came from a local news story that was incredible on its own and took only a bit of modification to make it a fully fleshed out novel.

I never ‘wanted’ to be a writer, it was just something I couldn’t stop doing, although, like you, it was ‘other things’ like newsletters, reports, manuals… Sharing stories with other people is my motivation, too. I didn’t get into ‘writing’ until my guinea pigs gave me the characters that needed a fantasy world to play in!
These days I usually get inspiration from passing phrases, but yes, headlines are good too.